Magnetic liquid dispenser and co-acting receiver



Oct. 19, 1965 L. A. FELIX 3,212,539

MAGNETIC LIQUID DISPENSER AND CO-ACTING RECEIVER Filed Sept. 10. 1963 INVENTOR. Lad A. Felix ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,212,539 MAGNETIC LIQUID DISPENSER AND CO-ACTING RECEIVER Lad A. Felix, 1700 Grant St., Denver, Colo. Filed Sept. 10, 1963, Ser. No. 307,867 Claims. (Cl. 141-360) This invention relates to a magnetic liquid dispenser with coacting receiving means.

The main object of the invention is to provide a beverage dispenser which automatically dispenses a measured quantity of liquid into a receiving container when the latter is positioned in alignment with the dispenser, without contact between the receiving container and the dispenser and without manipulation of the dispenser or any part thereof.

The desired result is achieved by providing a dispenser which is detachably mounted on the neck of a beverage containing bottle, designed when inverted to entrap a measured quantity of the liquid; said dispenser having an inlet port normally open, and an outlet port normally closed by a magnetic valve movable in the dispenser to open the outlet port and close the inlet port in response to the repellant action of a magnetic member which is part of the coacting receiving container. When the receiving container is held near the outlet port of the dispenser, with the magnetic member of the receiver aligned with the magnetic portion of the dispenser valve, the valve is repelled and caused to move from the outlet port seat to the inlet port seat, thereby closing the port to the beverage container, opening the dispenser outlet port and al lowing the measured liquid to pass into the receiving container. When the receiving container is moved away from the dispenser, the valve automatically returns by gravity to the outlet valve seat, and another measured quantity of beverage flows into the dispenser and is retained therein until the receiving container again is brought into position to influence the magnetic valve and cause it to move away from the outlet port.

The dispenser valve responds instantaneously to the near presence of the receiving container, without actual contact between the dispenser and the receiver. The construction and arrangement is desirable for sanitary reasons and for dependable performance, and has the added advantage of attracting and mystifying observers when the dispenser and coacting receiver are used to dispense beverages in the presence of guests.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the dispenser member of my invention attached to a beverage containing bottle which is shown partly broken away; the dispenser valve being in outlet port closing position.

FIG. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the receiving container of my invention and of the lower portion of the dispenser member as they appear in liquid dispensing position, showing the dispenser valve in inlet port closing position and outlet port opening position.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the dispenser.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, indicates an inverted beverage containing bottle which has its open neck inserted into a dispenser member 11 provided with an outer collar 12 and an inner elongated sleeve 13 spaced apart to receive the neck of the bottle 10. The inner sleeve 13 is lined externally at its upper end with cork 14 which engages the inner surface of the bottle neck to form a leak proof seal which allows the beverage to flow only through the neck of the bottle into the interior of the dispenser 11. An air vent 15 extends through the cork 14 to communicate with the interior of the bottle 10 and dispenser 11. The sleeve 13 extends downwardly from the partition 16 into 3,212,539 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 ice the beverage measuring and entrapment chamber 17, to form a circular inlet port and a valve seat 18.

Preferably the side walls of the dispenser 11 are downwardly and outwardly inclined from the partition 16 to the bottom 19, the latter merging with a relatively thick depending concentric collar 20 which forms the dispensing end of the dispenser 11. The collar 20 is provided with a central opening 21 which is concentric with and substantially the same diameter as the sleeve 13. The central opening 21 extends from the bottom surface 22 of the collar 20 to a horizontal annular shoulder 23, connected by an annular inclined surface 24 to the dispenser bottom 19 to form a valve seat 25 concentric with the valve seat 18.

A magnetic valve comprises a cylindrical magnet 26 and a spherical member 27 mounted on the magnet 26. The latter fits slidably in the central opening 21 of the collar 20, and the ball valve is of such diameter that it engages the valve seat 25 when in closed position.

The collar 20 is slotted as indicated at 28, said slots being shown as four in number, extending from the shoulder surface 23 downwardly through the collar in communication with the central opening 21, thus providing liquid outlets for the dispenser.

A receiving container 30 may be a conventional glass having a bottom and side walls. For the purposes of this invention, the interior of the receiver 30 has a magnetic member 31 mounted on its bottom. Preferably the magnetic member 31 is cylindrical in form and approximately the same diameter as the magnetic portion 26 of the valve in the dispenser 11. The magnetic members 26 and 31 have opposite poles and are arranged to have like poles facing each other when the receiver 30 is held with its open top near the bottom 22 of the dispenser and the magnetic members in general alignment with each other.

The operation of the dispenser and co-acting receiver is as follows: As shown in FIG. 1, the valve 27 is seated on the outlet port seat 25, closing the dispenser port and entrapping liquid which flows from the beverage container 10 through the sleeve 13 and its open inlet port into the dispenser chamber 17. The entrapped liquid is retained in the dispenser until the valve 26-27 is actuated to move upwardly and seat on the valve seat 18, to thereby open the outlet port and simultaneously close the inlet port. As shown in FIG. 2, this valve movement results automatically due to the repellant influence of the magnet 31 on the magnet 26 when the receiving container 30 is held near the collar 20, with the magnetic member 31 aligned with the valve member 26, but without actual contact between any part of the receiver 30 and dispenser 11. When the parts are in the positions shown in FIG. 2, the valve 26-27 has moved upwardly, with the ball 27 seating on the inlet port valve seat 18, uncovering the valve seat 25 and permitting the entrapped beverage to pass from the chamber 17 through the slots 28 to the container 30. As soon as the receiving container has been withdrawn, the valve 2627 automatically returns to the seat 25 to close the outlet port. Then the inlet port again is open and beverage is free to flow into the dispenser chamber 17.

Changes may be made in details of construction and form of parts without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A non-electrical magnetic liquid dispenser and coacting receiver for automatically dispensing a measured quantity of liquid when the receiver is located near and in alignment with the dispenser, comprising (a) a dispenser housing provided with an inlet port and an outlet port axially aligned with each other,

(b) means on the dispenser housing for detachably mounting it on a beverage container for passage of beverage from the beverage container into the dispenser housing,

(c) a magnetic valve in the dispenser housing normally closing the outlet port, 7

(d) a co-acting receiver comprising an open top container, and

(e) a magnetic member mounted in the receiver container,

(e1) said magnetic member having a repellant influence on the magnetic valve in the dispenser when the receiver container is held in beverage receiving position near the dispenser outlet port and the magnetic member in said receiver container is aligned with the magnetic valve,

whereby the magnetic valve automatically moves from the outlet port to the inlet port, closing the inlet port and permitting entrapped beverage in the dispenser to pass through the outlet port into the receiver.

2. The non-electrical magnetic liquid dispenser and coacting receiver defined by claim 1, in which the container housing has a depending collar on its bottom wall surrounding the outlet port, and the magnetic valve in the housing comprises a cylindrical magnetic portion slidable in said outlet port and a spherical member mounted on the cylindrical portion for seating alternately on the outlet port and the inlet port.

3. The non-electrical magnetic liquid dispenser and coacting receiver defined by claim 1, in which the magnetic valve in the dispenser and the magnetic member in the receiver container have opposite poles facing each other when the dispenser and receiver are in co-acting positions relative to each other.

4. The non-electrical magnetic liquid dispenser and coacting receiver defined by claim 1, in which the means on the dispenser housing for detachably mounting it on a beverage container comprises an inlet sleeve projecting above the top of the dispenser and extending into the interior of the dispenser, a collar spaced from and concentric with the upwardly projecting portion of the sleeve for receiving between them the neck of the beverage container for passage of beverage into the dispenser through said sleeve.

5. A non-electrical magnetic liquid dispenser and coacting receiver for automatically dispensing a measured quantity of liquid When the receiver is located near and in alignment with the dispenser, comprising (a) a dispenser housing having top, bottom and side walls,

(b) a sleeve extending through the center of the top wall and projecting above and below said wall, the lower end of the sleeve forming an inlet port,

(c) a central opening in the dispenser bottom forming an outlet port axially aligned with said inlet port in the sleeve,

(d) means on the dispenser housing cooperating with the upwardly projecting portion of the sleeve for detaehably mounting the dispenser on a beverage container for passage of beverage from the beverage container into the dispenser housing through said sleeve,

(e) a magnetic valve having a magnetic cylindrical portion slidably mounted in said central opening in the dispenser bottom and a I spherical member mounted on said cylindrical portion for seating alternately on the outlet and inlet ports,

(f) a plurality of discharge slots in the dispenser bottom adjacent the central opening communicating with the outlet port,

(g) a co-acting receiver comprising an open top container, and

(h) a magnetic member mounted in the receiver container,

(hl) said magnetic member having a repellant influence on the magnetic valve in the dispenser when the receiver container is held in beverage receiving position near the dispenser outlet port and the magnetic member in the receiver container is aligned with the magnetic valve,

whereby the magnetic valve automatically moves from the outlet port to the inlet port, closing the inlet port and permitting entrapped beverage in the dispenser to pass through the outlet port into the receiver.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,667,895 2/54 Pool et al 251- X 3,042,085 7/62 Morris 141-353 3,163,188 12/64 Morris 141369 FOREIGN PATENTS 88,549 2/60 Denmark. 1,043,125 11/58 Germany.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A NON-ELECTRICAL MAGNETIC LIQUID DISPENSER AND COACTING RECEIVER FOR AUTOMATICALLY DISPENSING A MEASURED QUANTITY OF LIQUID WHEN THE RECEIVER IS LOCATED NEAR AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE DISPENSER, COMPRISING (A) A DISPENSER HOUSING PROVIDED WITH AN INLET PORT AND AN OUTLET PORT AXIALLY ALIGNED WITH EACH OTHER, (B) MEANS ON THE DISPENSER HOUSING FOR DETACHABLY MOUNTING IT ON A BEVERAGE CONTAINER FOR PASSAGE OF BEVERAGE FROM THE BEVERAGE CONTAINER INTO THE DISPENSER HOUSING, (C) A MAGNETIC VALVE IN THE DISPENSER HOUSING NORMALLY CLOSING THE OUTLET PORT, (D) A CO-ACTING RECEIVER COMPRISING AN OPEN TOP CONTAINER, AND (E) A MAGNETIC MEMBER MOUNTED IN THE RECEIVER CONTAINER, (E-1) SAID MAGNETIC MEMBER HAVING A REPELLANT INFLUENCE ON THE MAGNETIC VALVE IN THE DISPENSER WHEN THE RECEIVER CONTAINER IS HELD IN BEVERAGE RECEIVING POSITION NEAR THE DISPENSER OUTLET PORT AND THE MAGNETIC MEMBER IN SAID RECEIVER CONTAINER IS ALIGNED WITH THE MAGNETIC VALVE, WHEREBY THE MAGNETIC VALVE AUTOMATICALLY MOVES FROM THE OUTLET PORT TO THE INLET ORT, CLOSING THE INLET PORT AND PERMITTING ENTRAPPED BEVERAGE IN THE DISPENSER TO PASS THROUGH THE OUTLET PORT INTO THE RECEIVER. 